Archive for month: October, 2014

When on 25th December, 1476, Galeazzo Maria Sforza, Duke of Milan was murdered in the Church of Santo Stefano, few of his subjects or indeed his close family circle would have mourned his death. He had made many an enemy and those that did not directly hate him, loathed...

It wouldn’t be Friday if I didn’t share with you a recipe from my ‘must-make’ chocolate file and for those who are lovers of chocolate with an added dash of a little ‘something’, then this is for you. This recipe uses the wonderfully delicious Italian liqueur Tuaca, made from...

At the corner of rue Droite and rue de la Loge, in the old town of Nice, you will notice a cannonball, enbedded in the wall, which was fired in the 16th century from one of the ships of the Ottoman fleet commanded by the famous Barbarossa (Redbeard), which...

Here is another of my favourite ‘meatless dishes using eggplant and is a Greek version of moussaka or as Maria Bernardis, who created this recipe, calls it ‘fake moussaka’. I often prepare this when we are having guests for dinner, especially when I am doing lamb, so that any vegetarian...

I have often said how much I love cooking with eggplant and certainly Moussaka is one of my favourite dishes, but when I am looking for a meatless meal, I do sometimes turn to this recipe for eggplant parmigana. This is such a simple dish to prepare but it is...

I always like to keep a stock of ingredients that allow to make a dinner for unexpected guests which is quick and uncomplicated but still has that ‘wow’ factor. I have a habit of regularly looking through my recipes (this one is from Gourmet Traveller magazine) and stocking up on...

When the days turn warmer and longer I start to hanker for the food of summer days. I spend hours going through my recipes, looking for those special dishes that I so identify with warm Mediterranean days and nights. This is one such dish and even just sharing this...

Sculpted on the façade of Palazzo Soranzo, San Marco you will see an angel holding a globe decorated with a cross. Above the angel there is not only a badly damaged fresco of the Virgin and Child between two angels but also a hole, and it is the...

Recently a friend of mine arrived with two bags of fruit, one of blueberries and one of blackcurrants, which she had diligently sourced for one reason only – to beg me to make a dessert she had seen on the web for Blueberry Galette, one of Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipes....

Although the cannon pointing towards visitors arriving in the village of Saint-Paul-de-Vence is well known, very few are familiar with its history and the stories told about it. An authentic 16th-century cannon brought back by the army of Francis I to Saint-Paul in 1544 after the battle of Ceresole...

Welcome to my love affair with the food, wine, history and culture of the Mediterranean, past and present. Here you will find not only recipes, drinks and fabulous products, but the history of the food and culture of the Mediterranean.

My purpose is to get you to explore and experience new tastes and along the way to immerse yourself in the wonderful history of this diverse and wonderful region – from Venice to Istanbul, Rome to Dubrovnik, Athens to Crete and all places in between and in the surrounds. Be prepared to be surprised, delighted and enthralled as you take this trip with me.

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Jen Smith – Med Meanderings

This blog is dedicated to the region of the Mediterranean - its history, art, music,culture, food, and wine. Here you will find historical comment, famous and not so famous works of art, places to visit, food and wine to try (including recipes), as well as book reviews, music to listen to, as well as numerous pieces on Mediterranean life as I see them. There will also be some academic scholarship. I do hope that you will enjoy my blog.